osokuko

Well today I went to my dealership for a car wash and to check out 3 possible colors for my 01/07 replacement ES350 UL due in a week or two. ------> delayed because I didn’t know the Lexus factory closed down during Chinese New year for a week. Back to subject ---> Then I spotted the rim section in the store there. Wow they got some awesome looking rims. Now I’m getting excited about the car again. So help me here, can the ES350 take a 20”rim with low profile tires?

wanderer99

I saw an ES350 with 19" rims in LA back in December. I posted that here.

That car looked great, and the rims and tires really fitted the wheel wells completely. The car did look like it was half an inch - or an inch - higher off the ground though. But it did look cool, and the ride height was still fine.

osokuko

I don’t know about 19” or 20” rim I’m guessing the tire would be thinner maybe that's not a good word – lower profile, I should have taken a picture of the rim I want with my cell phone. I’m hoping it will work because I think the rin I saw would really enhance the look of the ES a lot. But I don’t know to much about size and what is a off set. Well I’m not putting you “wanderer” on the spot just talking and excited I’ll have a car to enhance soon.

NGG

Gentlemen:
Just remember that lower profile tire equals stiffer and noisier ride and increased tread wear...seems that this contradicts part of the ES mission of smooth quiet ride! Something to think about.

Kaius88

You've got to be kidding me. Why would a japanese manufacturer close down for a Chinese holiday??? Besides, Chinese new year is in Mid-february this year, so how would that delay your 01/07 build? Did the dealer give you that excuse or was someone playing with you? That's like my Jaguar dealer telling me that my 09/06 S-Type was delayed because of the German Oktoberfest.

osokuko

Thanks for the feed back:

Kaius - Well I married an Asian, but didn’t get the official word on Chinese New Year last night. Maybe someone told my Dealer that, I should have had my wife with me at the time. I do know they all celebrate the New Year in there own way. Oktoberfest? Lol.

NGG – the stiffer ride is ok as long as it doesn’t get like the IS350. I usually put on low miles a year. Currently I just turned 3,500 miles on my Aug 4th ES purchase. So if the car doesn’t look luxury then I’ll make it look cool. But I am getting excited to do something. Back to 19” or 20” which is better as far as tire choice goes? I guess the off set stuff can be handled by the dealership. Been thinking about changing the exhaust system too for a deeper exhaust note at idle at a later time.

LexFather

Yes 20's will fit with no problem.

OAKPLANK

One thing to look at when, and if, you bring your car to the local car wash, the height of the rail that they use to keep you on track when pulling your car through the wash must be lower then the height of your rims.
The lower your rims are to the ground, the more chances they will be damaged by that rail.
Something to think about when selecting low profile tires.
oakplank

osokuko

Okay, good info, so the 20” rims will fit – cool. That’s the size rim I was looking at when I was at the dealership. Out of the 18” 19” 20” rims which one in your opinion is the most common size that most people buy and will allow for the most brand supported tires on the market? Thanks you your help.

Kaius88

would a 20" scrape the sides if you go over a speed bump? does the diameter also increase the thickness of the wheels? This would be interesting to see...

osokuko

Well looks like we got two threads going now, I looked at tire rack last night and they say 18’s or 19’s for the ES. Waiting to find out if 19” tire are more expensive than 20”. But several posters have noted I may have some problems with 20’s. Yeah probably that tire at 20 would be a chuck of harden rubber not good for a ride.

Pheonix

"If you can afford a new tractor, you can afford a new barn to house it in." - My grandfather
"If you can afford a new muscle car, you can afford the gas to put it in." My other grandfather.

Who cares in the leaset how much the tires cost when you're spending thousands on new rims? Cause good looking wheels 18"+ don't sell cheap... Hell top end 15-16-17" rims cost a good deal.

Kaius88

if big 20"s were a guarantee that fine college girls would wanna ride with me, i'd go get them right now!!!!!! I'm not inclined to impressed young fellows....

LexFather

At this time, I think most people would buy 18s on an ES, since the ES is for a more conservative crowd.
As for tires, 18s are more abundant to find but there is also tons supporting 19s and 20s. There are so many people modding, there is tons of aftermarket support for wheels/tires.

toneman

What tire size is used for a 20" setup on an ES 350? Not being argumentative...just curious.